Barca will still be top next week - Valverde calms form fears

Ernesto Valverde does not believe Barcelona's current form is a cause for concern.

Barca had their LaLiga lead trimmed to five points by Real Madrid's derby win over Atletico Madrid this weekend – their subsequent goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao meaning the advantage stands at six points with 15 games remaining.

Including last week's 1-1 draw with Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, Valverde's side are without a win in three matches across all competitions.

Speaking to reporters after the game at his old San Mames stomping ground, the Blaugrana head coach suggested a dose of perspective was required.

"Well we were first last week, we're first this week and, if I'm not mistaken, we'll be leaders next week as well," he said.

"That's the situation. There are weeks when you earn a lot of points and some when you don't.

"It's a long season and we'll wait until the end to make a judgement."

Barcelona host relegation-threatened Real Valladolid next weekend before travelling to Lyon in the last 16 of the Champions League.

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Julen Lopetegui insists he would have used Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid this season, despite giving the teenager limited opportunities when he was in charge.

The highly rated Brazilian arrived at Madrid from Flamengo ahead of the 2018-19 campaign and was tipped to help fill the void left by departing great Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Vinicius played just 12 minutes across two substitute appearances in LaLiga before Lopetegui was sacked at the end of October, having himself endured a tough start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius has subsequently established himself as a star man, scoring against Real Valladolid and Deportivo Alaves.

While some have wondered if Vinicius would have had the same impact had Lopetegui kept his job, the former Spain coach is adamant he was simply biding his time with the winger.

"Vinicius was in a period of adaptation and the time factor was very important," Lopetegui told El Partidazo.

"He was going to play because seasons last 10 months and not a month and a half. It is evident that he is a player who was in our plans.

"In the future, he would have played with us and there is no doubt he has a great future ahead of him."

Lopetegui endured a difficult 2018 as his agreement to join Madrid on the eve of the World Cup saw him sacked as Spain boss, before he departed the European champions less than five months later.

But the coach says he was glad to have the opportunity to lead two footballing heavyweights and hopes to grow from the experience.

"I had two extraordinary experiences as a coach and I enjoyed it a lot," he said. "We arrived at the World Cup very well prepared.

"At Madrid, it didn't last as long as we wanted. But there are situations that make you stronger and give you thicker skin."

Luka Jovic is the Bundesliga's most prolific forward this season and his performances for Eintracht Frankfurt have not gone unnoticed.

With a league-high 14 goals and 20 in all competitions, Jovic has been linked with Barcelona and reports have even gone as far to say the 21-year-old already has a personal agreement to join the LaLiga champions.

A product of Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade, Jovic – like many before him – was lured away from the capital by Benfica in 2016. He only made four appearances at Estadio da Luz, eventually moving to Frankfurt on a two-year loan deal.

The transfer included an option to buy and Frankfurt's decision to invest in Jovic has proved to be a masterstroke when you consider the reported fee stands at €7million and they could be set to receive in excess of €40m for the Serbia international.

Jovic's value has soared this season following an eight-goal Bundesliga campaign in 2017-18.

Jovic, who has already made history after becoming the youngest player to score five goals in a Bundesliga match during October's 7-1 rout of Fortuna Dusseldorf, has a better minutes-to-goal ratio (94) and shot conversion rate (31.82) than Lewandowski (144.46 and 21.31) and Thomas Muller (376.5 and 14.29), per Opta data.

His shooting accuracy (54.55) is also far superior to Lewandowski (39.34), while Jovic has also converted eight "big chances" and created 16 opportunities - making him a versatile threat up front.

With another six goals en route to the Europa League last 16, in-demand Jovic is seen as the ideal successor to Luis Suarez at Camp Nou. And as the goals continue to flow, Barca may be set for a transfer war amid interest from rivals Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Bernardo Silva believes Manchester City will take a significant stride towards becoming serial winners if they overcome Chelsea in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.

City won the trophy last season after beating Arsenal 3-0 in the final, as well as getting their hands on a third Premier League title.

The club are yet to retain a trophy in their history – something Silva wants to see corrected against Maurizio Sarri's side at Wembley.

"It would mean a lot for the history of the club," he said.

"That is one of our main goals: not only winning it once but keep winning and winning.

"We know we have the squad to do that but our opponents are very strong and it won't be an easy job."

City thumped Chelsea in the Premier League 6-0 less than a fortnight ago, but Silva insists it will be a far tougher game this time around.

"We should forget that match because it won't happen again," he added.

"We are not expecting the same result. We are playing against one of the best sides in the world, even though lately their results are not the best for them.

"Against those kind of players you can never relax and if you give them time to think, time to play and time to decide [what to do], they will destroy you. So, we have to play with the same intensity."